SEPARATED: CONCLUSION TO UN-RELATED by Kimberly Schwartzmiller Read Free Book Online Page A

quietly said, “It’s okay, I understand.”
    “Do you? Because I’m mad as hell! I tried to trade the date with everyone, and no one will do it. The test is on Saturday and I have to study for it all day Friday. I’m so sorry.”
    “Its okay, Kellan. So, when can you come home?”
    “Christmas break…but then I can stay for three weeks, okay?”
    “Three weeks?”
    “Yeah, since I’m taking the exam over Thanksgiving, I get an extra break for Christmas.”
    “Well, I guess I’d rather have you for three weeks for Christmas than only two days for Thanksgiving. I wonder how many days...?”
    “One hundred and one,” he answered, knowing I needed a new countdown to get through the days.
    “What?”
    “ Its one hundred and one days until Christmas break. Think of it this way, it’s five weeks closer to your graduation…and to your 18 th birthday…something I have huge plans for.”
    “No fancy hotels,” I giggled, even though I was dying inside.
    “No, it’s much better than that. I promise.”
    “Hmm, I’m really glad you kept your last promise, even if it was on the very last day of summer!”
    “Well, I’m nothing, if not a man of my word. I love you, Abby. I’ll talk to you this weekend…oh, who am I kidding? I’ll call you tomorrow. Sleep well.”
    “You, too. Goodnight.” 
    I hung up the phone and climbed under the blankets in my bed. I spent a lot of time sleeping just so the time would pass. Tyler told me I was wishing my life away, but I told him I was only wishing my 17 th year away. After that, my life would be wonderful.
     
    I woke up about two am and realized I wasn’t feeling very well. My stomach was in knots and I knew it was because I had just added 28 days to my already very long countdown. I walked into the kitchen to grab a snack to settle my stomach and ran into Joe.
    “What are you doing up?” he snapped.              
    “I just want a snack and then I’ll be out of your hair.”
    “Good. Get the hell out!” he slurred. I saw a bottle of alcohol on the counter and assumed he had downed most of it.
    I had never seen him drink like that before. Gamble, yes, and it wasn’t unusual for Nancy to drink, but Joe only drank socially. I was actually a little concerned about him.
    “Are you okay?” I asked, meekly.
    “What the hell do you care? You have what you want…actually it seems you have what everyone wants… what Nancy wants….Kellan.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me…you have Kellan. How could you sleep with him? You were a good girl…you were. I heard you tell Tyler you weren’t ready…but then you slept with… him !”
    “I love Kellan. It’s not wrong to be with someone you love.”
    “It is when he’s your brother…or son!” he slurred, making no sense to me whatsoever.
    “What are you talking about? Kellan is not my brother…you know that!”
    He stood up and said, “I guess if you’re willing to sleep with your brother…”
    “He’s not my brother!”
    “Foster brother…same difference! So, if you’re willing to sleep with your foster brother…how about your foster dad?”
    “You’re talking crazy. Goodnight, Joe!” I said and went straight to bed. He was not himself and I was actually fearful around him for the first time.
    I ran to my room and closed my door. I put on the flannel pajamas Kellan had given me and got into bed. The snack was long forgotten. I laid there in the dark and waited, but he never bothered me. I was relieved when the sun finally came up and I was able to go to school.
    They left for the weekend, right after work on Thursday and I was happy that I didn’t have to deal or see either of them for three whole days. Things had been strange since they found out about me and Kellan, but Kellan had been right, they didn’t bother me, with the exception of Joe’s one-time drunken advances.
    Kellan and I talked most of the weekend, we were constantly on the phone and on Saturday night, he said he had